An upgrade to business class from $130? Here’s how you can do it

Two thousand dollars for a domestic business class flight? Tell ’em they’re dreaming. But a business class upgrade for only $130, if there’s still space in the cabin? Now you’re talking.

Qantas, Virgin Australia, and now Jetstar allow travellers to bid for a better seat. So do global airlines such as Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Fiji Airways, Qatar Airways and others.

It works like this: book your economy flight as normal. Then you can enter the bidding battle for a better seat.

Airlines will sometimes send emails inviting you to bid, but you don’t always have to wait. Searching online for your airline’s name plus “upgrade bid” can speed things up.

Like any auction, success is never guaranteed. You might be outbid. Others could swoop in and buy all the remaining business class seats at full price, leaving none for cut-price upgraders. Sometimes, airlines keep a few empty seats to accommodate missed connections and passengers from cancelled flights.

But when you win in the upgrade game, you win big.

That $130 upgrade? That’s from Melbourne to Perth on Virgin Australia – moving from my cheap seat in economy to seat 1A in business class. In fact, I might have even secured it cheaper.

Bidding began at $125. But not knowing what anyone else is bidding, I play the strategy game. I offer an amount just higher than the absolute minimum, which gives me the victory over seekers of the sharpest bargain. For the sake of $5, that’s quite OK.

I’ve had great luck on other airlines, too. On a recent Malaysia Airlines flight from Osaka to Kuala Lumpur, I escaped the confines of economy for seven hours of business class bliss for about ¥31,000 ($277). That’s under $40 an hour to switch my economy seat for a flatbed – a bargain any way you slice it.

Jetstar’s new BidCash system accepts bids from just $180 on routes such as Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City. But travellers, take note: Jetstar business class is like premium economy on most other airlines – reclining chairs, not flat beds.

Upgrading can also forgo some of the key business class perks. In the frequent flyer stakes, expect to earn points and status credits in line with the economy fare you bought, not the upgraded business class seat.

On Virgin Australia, upgrade bids include privileges such as lounge access and priority check-in, but you don’t get the higher business class baggage allowance. With Qantas, you’ll get the extra baggage, but the minimum bid can be much higher than Virgin: currently $512 from Melbourne to Perth, one-way.

It’s also a waiting game. Bids stay pending until close to departure – usually, within 24 hours of the aircraft door closing. The bid amount also applies per passenger, and if you’re flying with others, either everybody on the booking gets upgraded or you all stay put. (If you’re fine leaving others in economy, ask the airline to separate your ticket from the joint booking first.)

If you don’t mind sweating it out, bidding for business class can be a bargain. But missing out will always be part of the game.